Dehydrators are electric appliances used remove the water moisture, i.e., dry or dehydrate products, for example, food products, such as fruits, vegetables, and animal proteins (meat). The water content of food products is usually very high, typically 80% to 95% for various fruits and vegetables and 60% to 75% for various meats. Removing moisture from food restrains various bacteria from growing and spoiling food. Further, removing moisture from food dramatically reduces the weight of the food. Thus, food dehydrators are used to preserve and extend the shelf life of various foods. Dehydrators use a combination of heat and air flow to capture and remove the moisture from the food products.
Typically, a dehydrator includes a dehydrating chamber with a plurality of trays for supporting the product being dehydrated. The product is typically placed in a single layer on the trays. The trays typically are porous, incorporating holes, slots, rack wires, etc., to provide maximum surface area exposure of the product to the circulating air. To maximize capacity, dehydrators are typically configured so that the product tray layers extend wall to wall and from top to bottom to the greatest extent possible. To ensure that the product is dehydrated consistently and in a uniform manner, it is important to maintain the environmental conditions within the dehydrator consistent.
Within a batch of product processed in a dehydrator, the individual pieces of product within the batch should be dehydrated with both consistency and uniformity. Consistency at the batch level refers to the idea that when the dehydrator is run at prescribed settings for a proscribed period of time for a particular type of product, the product should be processed consistently to that particular level of dehydration. Uniformity at the batch level refers to the idea that, for any particular batch, all of the product in the batch should be processed to the same level of dehydration.